章 67: The start of the tournament – Chapter 23
In the morning, the streets were crowded with many people who either wanted to participate in the tournament or simply wanted to witness the power held in this sole kingdom.
And the same wasn't for any commoner, adventurer, or mercenary because, through the heavy crowd, a certain fancy cart was cutting through without any problems.
Usually, carts were not allowed in this part of town. However, upon glancing at the luxurious cart that was being pulled by four white horses, everyone quickly made a clear line where the cart would pass through.
"Oh, that must be the princess!" Someone in the crowd exclaimed.
"The princess? So the rumors were true!" "Look, the princess is passing through!" "I wonder what she looks like." "You idiot, you'll die if you dare to glance at her. The only ones who have seen her are either royalty or famous knights." "I'm kinda jealous." "....I wonder if we'll see her in the tournament."
Many people glanced at the cart passing by with awe and curiosity about what the princess looked like.
The cart did have glassy windows, but due to the sun's reflection, no one seemed to be able to tell who was inside the cart. They only assumed that it must've been the princess due to the rumors.
As the cart rolled along, a certain girl gazed out of the window, her eyes wandering across the bustling crowd. Behind the glass, her calm demeanor revealed an undeniable beauty that should not be underestimated.
With her blonde hair cascading down her shoulders and her yellow eyes glinting in the sunlight, she appeared almost ethereal. The white dress she wore added to her angelic aura as it flowed softly around her slim and curvaceous figure. Despite her petite frame and small visible breasts, it was clear that she was the youngest princess, and her regal bearing was undeniable.
"Young lady, please remain away from the window."
Said a calm, deep, feminine voice inside the cart.
"We don't know if someone would suddenly attack you through the window."
The beautiful blonde girl in the white dress softly smiled for a bit before looking back to the one who was sitting on the seat in front of her.
The voice that questioned the concerning warnings belonged to a tall and commanding individual.
With her piercing black eyes, she observed everything outside the cart with an icy detachment. Her raven-black hair was pulled back tightly into a ponytail, drawing attention to the chiseled features of her face. Dressed in a pristine white uniform that accentuated her slim figure, she carried herself with the poise and grace of a seasoned warrior. Despite her youth, there was a sternness to her that spoke of a life of discipline and devotion to her calling as a holy knight.
"You're way too overprotective, Sofia…" expressed the blonde beauty with a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"It's for your own good, young lady. " responded the stern-looking knight with her eyes focused on her surroundings.
"....haa…. I thought by coming in here, you'd become less stiff as well." The blonde beauty responded as she let out a sigh of slight defeat.
"My duty is to protect you with my life. I have no reason to let my guard down, young lady."
A sly smile appeared on the white-dressed beauty as she listened to Sofia's own duty.
"If you keep acting this way, Sir Ryosaki won't be able to see your qualities during the tournament."
Sofia's eyes widened for a slight second before she averted her gaze to the window once again with a hint of annoyance on her face.
"That person has nothing to do with me. I'm simply doing my duty here." The black-haired knight responded, "Me and that person have no such ties."
The princess, whose playful teasing had been thwarted, let out a sigh. It was evident that she possessed a deep understanding of Sofia, and from her reaction, she could sense that something must have transpired involving Ryosaki.
With this realization, she chose to conclude the conversation there.
* * *
Through the glazing sun on a very early morning, even before the princess had arrived in Holl town, there stood a certain young boy on the waiting line in the adventurer's guild.
This particular boy held a quiet, stern expression while waiting for his turn in a place filled with many adventurers with muscular figures and skill holders that could annihilate a particular monster with their gifted abilities.
Despite this overwhelming difference, this particular young boy walked towards the receptionist and said.
"I want to register as an adventurer."
The receptionist, who had just finished writing a document, glanced down at the desk and noticed a short boy who seemed to be around 14 or 15.
He had a sharp look on his face. His slightly washed gray and brown hair were tied in a ponytail style, and he was wearing beginner equipment as an adventurer. Such as leather boots, a light, dark coat, and dark pants that match his gloomy and sharp look.
However, what the receptionist noticed the most was that this boy showed no signs of carrying a weapon.
The receptionist, who was obviously in her thirties, had quite a bit of experience in this field, which is why she shut one of her eyes while looking at him.
"I'm sorry, but unfortunately, becoming an adventurer requires you to have mastered at least the art of swords."
"....I'm an elementalist,"
The boy blankly responded as he placed a green emblem with the sign of a tree on the desk.
"And if that still isn't enough, then I'm sure this might change your mind."
"This is…."
The receptionist expressed her concern as she observed the emblem that this boy had. She seemed to recognize it, which is why she coughed once on her fist before pulling out a piece of paper.
"Fill in your personal information here."
The boy with sharp eyes got the piece of paper and filled them up with his personal details… Or at least that's what the receptionist thought he was doing.
His writing speed was rather quick and swift, as if he had been used to writing on paper for a long time. And within a couple of minutes, this particular boy was already done.
The receptionist grabbed the newly written information and quickly glanced through it.
"Your name is…. Nagisa. Age, 16? And your element is water."
The receptionist confirmed the personal details before writing a copy of his information on another piece of paper.
"Alright, I have confirmed your information. Since you are affiliated with a merchant's guild, you don't need to take an exam to prove your abilities. I will take this to one of my colleges."
And once she was done explaining, the receptionist quickly headed to another room to confirm all of the details of this new procedure. It took around ten minutes before she returned with an F-ranked guild card.
Since Nagisa was using the affiliation to quickly become an adventurer, the receptionist expected him to react a bit harshly due to getting the lowest rank. However, the boy with a ponytail simply looked at the card before heading out without reacting.
This receptionist had come across a lot of weird-looking guys and cocky bastards who wanted to take advantage. But this one was something she never expected.
After Nagisa, or whatever name he used that he wanted others to call him, got his adventurer's rank and card, he walked outside the building with the same kind of blank expression.
He swiftly walked through the busy crowd until he found himself at a certain part of the watch tower, which was also the highest building in the whole town.
The watchtower, of course, was protected by two guards, that's why he didn't immediately rush towards them in clear sight.
After carefully observing that there was no one else other than the guards around this part of the streets, Nagisa flicked his finger, causing one of the guards to move his heavy armored arm and knock the other one out.
".....aghh! S-shit, W-what the hell?!"
The guard cursed under his breath as he found his body falling over his comrade, who seemed to be knocked out. He didn't know what happened, as he only found his body slightly moving on its own.
'....i knew that I shouldn't have drank that much booze….' The guard thought to himself while trying to check if the other guard was okay.
However, what those guards had failed to do was their only job, which was to prevent anyone from entering the watchtower.
…
Quickly going up the tower was Nagisa. The stairs were built in a manner similar to the square-shaped watchtower that continued going for almost ten to almost the twelfth floor, giving a clear view of the whole town.
It was still morning, and as he was watching over the heavy crowd, he noticed a certain cart that people were opening their way to. And inside the card, thanks to his clear vision, he was able to see who was inside the cart.
He quickly saw that inside the card was the princess. And in front of her, a certain black-haired knight watched over her with a stern expression. But after a few seconds of observation, the knight returned a glare from where Nagisa was watching, which is why Nagisa quickly shifted his gaze as he tried to remain stealthy.
After a moment or two, as the cart was moving away, Nagisa finally spoke to himself.
"She's here."
However, his words were not left unheard, as beside the watchtower, a certain dark shade appeared out of nowhere.
"It's amazing how you can locate someone from so far away."
The girlish voice commented from the dark shade as her body came into clear view. The voice belonged to a short, dark-haired girl with a cloak covering her body. Her movements were stealthy, making her almost unnoticeable to commoners.
"Leave the unnecessary comments aside, Alexia." The boy said, his eyes narrowing at the girl beside him.
"Boo, that's no fun."
Alexia responded, her cheeks slightly puffing at the gloomy way this boy responded, before letting out a sigh and returning to her serious expression.
"Are you sure that it's her?"
"There's no mistaking it." The boy confirmed. "Her real name is Sofia. A holy knight, who also happened to be the guardian of the princess since her own birth. Her powers are still uncertain, but I have confirmed that her senses are not ordinary. You won't have a chance with her as you are now."
Alexia gritted her own teeth and clenched her own fist in frustration.
"That's when you'll get your chance after the tournament."
"That's easier said than done." Alexia lowered her head as she responded.
"I know," the boy continued, "that's why I have prepared a plan on how you can confront Sofia. I've been observing and gathering bits of information about the church, and I'm expecting that they will strike the princess."
The black-haired assassin widened her eyes in surprise.
"The church?"
"Yes, the church."
"But if the church is related to this, then doesn't that mean Sofia…." Alexia trailed off, her mind guessing what could be going on.
"That's right." The boy confirmed Alexia's silent guesses. "That's why we'll use this chance so you can also complete your revenge. Wasn't that your goal from the start?"
"Yes, it is."
She clenched her own fist as she watched the cart disappear in the distance.
"If she doesn't pay for what she has done, then I don't think I'll ever be able to rest…. Not knowing that my uncle's killer is still out there… alive."
The boy, whose white, thin strands of hair were becoming visible on his brown hair, got up and let out a sigh.
"Then you don't need to worry about anything."
Alexia looked at the boy in front of her, who almost matched her height. However, after a few more seconds of starting, a grin appeared on her face.
"I have one question, though."
"Hm?" The boy looked to his side at the grinning girl.
"Can I hug you?" Her cheeks became rose-colored as she asked.
"No."
"Hnnnng! That's not fair, Hiroki."
Alexia complained as she looked at the sharp red eyes of the boy in front of her.
"I don't know how you did it, but getting to become someone else like this is truly amazing for an assassin like me. If I had an amazing element like that, I would surely use it to gather a harem of cute little boys." She held her own cheeks as she seemed to be melting in cuteness.
Nagisa, or, to be more exact, Hiroki, who was now possessing this boy, looked with a bored yet blank stare at this proclaimed assassin before letting out another sigh.
"Anyway," Hiroki tried to avoid this unnecessary situation, "we'll continue this another time, since I need to make preparations in order to get the princess's attention."
"Eh? How are you going to do that?"
"Isn't that obvious." Hiroki smirked. "I'll also participate in the tournament."
* * *
In the southern part of Holl Town stood a grand arena, boasting numerous seats encircling an open field.
Not far from the arena, a cloaked girl with white hair made her way into the registration building, where participants were gathering for the upcoming tournament.
Inside the spacious room, a diverse crowd had already gathered, consisting of adventurers, knights, mercenaries, and mysterious cloaked figures concealing their identities.
Aya tried to blend in with the others, maintaining a sense of stealth until she completed her registration.
After a few more minutes passed, several individuals arrived to assess the participants, meticulously noting down their names, titles, and the abilities and weapons they intended to utilize during the tournament.
However, when two guards approached Aya, they cast surprised glances in her direction, looking down upon her with unexpected expressions.
"I'm sorry miss," The knight with a piece of paper on his hands began, "But unless you are a well-known mercenary or adventurer without any known titles, you won't be able to participate in this tournament."
Aya, who was trying to keep her hair from falling out of her dark cloak, looked up at the two guards before saying.
"My name is Aya."
The two guards looked at one another before he wrote something on his paper.
"Are you sure she is the one?"
The guard who was on duty to judge the weapons whispered to the one who scribbled something on his paper.
"Yes," the knight with the document in his hands confirmed, his expression not hinting any emotion. "Her description given by Sir Ryosaki matches. A young female in a dark cloak and white hair."
Aya narrowed her eyes before lowering her cloak a bit more at her carelessness in getting seen that easily. Even though this did her a favor, getting recognized for her white hair wasn't something that she wanted to deal with.
"Even though she was registered by Sir Ryosaki, don't you think that her white hair seems suspicious?"
The other guard whispered back after side eyeing Aya to observe her once more.
"You idiot!"
The guard who was holding the document slightly hit the other one on his head.
"Don't judge her just because of her hair. What if Sir Ryosaki hears about this? We'll both lose our jobs!!"
The second guard gulped as he slightly bowed down in front of Aya with a wry smile.
"M-mis Aya, please forgive our ignorance! We'll make sure that this never happens again."
As uncomfortable as Aya felt at that moment, she returned a wry smile at the way she was suddenly treated.
"It's okay. I don't mind."
Then, after confirming that everything was okay with her, both guards bowed slightly to her once again before leaving.
"Well, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach us."
"Please, excuse us."
The guards said before heading towards another participant in order to appraise their gear and name.
Aya remained silent as she watched those guards walk away before feeling someone coming behind her. She knew that no one would dare attack her suddenly in a place like this, which is why she remained on guard while waiting to know what this presence wanted from her.
"You really did put a scare on those knights, didn't you?" A deep, yet sarcastic voice inquired.
Aya turned around to see who he was and saw two figures approaching her.
The one who had spoken was a tall boy with a rather muscular figure. He had messy dark brown hair, purple amethyst eyes, and a charming smile that did not fear anything at first sight. He was wearing fancy casual clothes that were easy to move around in, and he carried a sword on his waist.
Beside this boy was also a girl who was remaining silent the whole time as she watched the boy on her side inquire. This girl had long brown hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed to perceive through anyone. She wore a dark, pitched dress that almost reached her thighs, exposing a bit of her back, her shoulders, and her long, slender, beautiful arms.
"....Do you have any business with me?" Aya inquired, her eyes slightly narrowing at the sudden approach.
"Yes," the boy smiled, "I was amazed by your approach to those cocky knights, which is why I couldn't help but be fascinated by your beauty. How about you join my team?"
"I'm not interested." Aya replied, unimpressed by his casual approach, as she briefly shut her eyes before attempting to walk away.
"Ah, hold on a moment."
"What is it?" Aya gazed back at the boy, who was still persistent about talking to her.
"Ahem,"
The boy coughed on his hand once before showing his charming smile again.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot. But don't worry. I forgive you. Because from now on, you won't have to share your burden on your own anymore. I, Danial, will personally allow you to join my party."
Aya blankly looked at this boy before letting out a sigh.
"Sorry, but I'm really not interested." She said, "But I appreciate your offer."
After saying that in a way as to not offend him, Aya turned back and walked somewhere else, leaving behind Danial with a slightly open surprised face and the girl on his side, who continued remaining silent.
* * *
Once the examiners had verified the presence of all tournament participants, they proceeded to collect the names and shuffle them together. Their purpose was to randomly assign matchups, ensuring a fully equitable tournament experience for everyone involved.
The whole stadium, which was shaped in an oval shape, was a massive place where many seats were available around the whole field where the participants were going to be fighting one another.
With just a guess, someone could say that there were already more than forty thousand spectators who were eager to see how this whole tournament would be this year.
This isn't something that happens very often, as this was the only sort of entertainment for commoners, and many were interested in the tournament. This was something that not only the royalty earned through the participants but also sought to attract new talented and powerful individuals to their own military ranks.
At the side of the stadium, at the highest point, separated from the rest of the audience, was the princess, with the black-haired knight by her side, sternly watching over her. Usually, coming to this tournament would be either the king or someone from the military ranks, which made this year a bit special as the princess herself was watching over the participants.
A knight can marry the princess if she gives consent and he proves his power, which was another reason for the hype for many potential young boys and men that wished to marry the beautiful-like goddess girl that was watching this year. She was truly a motivation for aspiring knights and soldiers who wanted to impress her.
Sofia was aware of the hype among the young men, which is why her mood was rather stiffer than usual, glaring at anyone who would even dare to look up at the princess on her side.
The princess, who was seated in a calm manner, wasn't that dense to not notice Sofia's mood, which is why she couldn't help but wryly smile at this.
After a couple of more minutes of waiting for the announcer to begin the tournament, both the princess and Sofia noticed someone coming to their VIP seats.
It was a knight in a red uniform.
"I hope you're going to enjoy this year's tournament." The knight said.
"Ah, Sir. Ryosaki." The princess smiled at his appearance.
Sofia, on the other hand, remained stern at his arrival before avoiding his gaze and then looking back towards the empty field down there.
The gray-haired knight in a red uniform gave a soft smile at Sofia before returning his gaze to the princess.
"This is my first time coming here as the representative of the royalties, but I won't lie that I'm feeling a bit excited to see this with my own eyes." The princess returned a kind smile as she responded to the knight.
"You're not alone in this one, princess. I also can't help but get a bit excited each year at the incredible talents that everyone holds in this tournament." Ryosaki said. "It's truly a blessing to see."
"Even though this is my first time here," the princess continued, "I feel like you seem a bit more eager for this tournament than usual."
"You think so, princess?" Ryosaki confusingly responded.
"Yes," the princess confirmed with a smile, "is it related to someone participating in this tournament?"
While the princess continued asking with a soft, kind smile on her face, Ryosaki's yellow eyes widened for a slight moment before he showed a calm smile.
"It seems like I can't escape the young lady's sharp gaze." The gray-haired knight lowered his head with a smile as he spoke.
"Eh, really?"
The princess held her hand over her mouth as she smiled excitedly.
"Who is it? Is it perhaps someone you have taken an interest in? Perhaps a girl?"
Sofia glared at Ryosaki for a slight moment before returning to her stern expression, pretending to look forward.
"Ahem," the gray-haired knight coughed on his fist, "she is someone I found in Fixy Town. She is now a rising adventurer that has been jumping to higher ranks at an incredible rate."
"Really?" The princess softly inquired. "I never thought that you would take an interest in someone like that. There are many adventurers that have similar achievements, so how come that you have taken this much interest in this particular girl?"
The gray-haired knight remained silent in thought as he looked down with an empty expression. It was an unusual expression from the greatest knight in the kingdom, and even the princess couldn't help but grab her dress from her usual teasing.
"I'm sorry, that was very rude of me."
"Ah, no."
The knight snapped back to reality before worriedly responding to the princess.
"There is no need for the princess to apologize to me."
After a couple of awkward silences between the three individuals in the VIP zone, the announcer began the tournament by loudly announcing so.
Then, after a couple of more minutes, the first participants entered the empty field. They were two mercenary-looking guys who both used long swords to fight.
Everyone cheered for the fight to begin as the two mercenaries had their hands over the handles of their swords resting on their waists.
Then after a moment of complete silence, the match began. The two mercenaries began clashing swords constantly for several seconds until one of them was defeated after his only weapon was thrown away by the sword clashing.
The whole audience, while it was a brief starting match, still cheered for the one who won.
The next match was somewhat similar, but this time it was a two-versus-two match where one duo held similar double-edged swords while the other ones carried no weapons but had some fancy-looking clothes and rings on their fingers.
The match was also much more interesting than the first one, showing a fight between swordsmen and people who had elemental powers that were used as means of protection and attack.
However, just from the way this match started, the audience quickly knew that no matter how strong the swordsmen were, these two elementalists were much stronger.
And just like that, the tournament continued for one more hour of many matches that either dragged out or quickly ended due to participants wanting to go all out.
"It seems like a lot of the participants this year hold quite a bit of talent." The gray-haired knight commented after watching the whole thing unfold from the VIP seats.
"I'm amazed to see that our kingdom has this many talented people." The princess added. "Maybe it is because Sir Ryosaki was looked upon?"
"Your words are way too generous, princess. But I doubt I have that sort of influence." Ryosaki responded with a slight, calm smile.
After waiting for the next match to begin, the trio in the VIP zone noticed the following participants entering the field.
On one side were the same two elementalists that were almost at the beginning of the tournament, and on the other side was a messy brown-haired swordsman, and by his side was a long brown-haired girl with a pitch-dark dress, showing almost no armor or weapons.
"Where have I…." Ryosaki softly whispered to himself. 'Seen him before'
Both Sofia and the princess noticed his sudden question, but decided to pay attention to the tournament down there.
Meanwhile, while waiting for the match to begin, the messy brown-haired boy with a muscular form and a sword on his waist smiled as he watched the two elementalists in front of him.
"Sorry to say this, but it was unfortunate that you paired up with us." The brown-haired boy comforted, his eyes gazing nothing else but pure confidence. "But don't worry, I will make this fast."
The elementalist duo looked back in slight surprise before their eyes glared at the cocky way this boy mocked them.
"Ha?! Who do you think you are?"
"Yea, that's right! Did your mother not teach you how to properly speak to others?"
The two elementalists shouted back. However, this did not shift the mood of the cocky swordsman.
As the duo who held elemental powers had veins popped on their foreheads due to the way their opponent was talking about them, they gripped their own teeth in rage while waiting for the match to begin with the announcer's voice.
This sort of behavior was either loved or hated by some of the audience, since they loved to have a lot of tension between the opponents in order to make this whole match a lot more interesting.
Some were even discussing with one another who this cocky boy was and why he was so confident despite the fact that he was going to face two elementalists at the same time.
Noticing this sort of behavior and reaction from the public was the brown-haired girl with the dark dress who was standing motionless by this boy's side. Her eyes, which remained emotionless, turned to the brown-haired boy, who was grinning in excitement.
"Master…" She softly called out.
"...I know," The messy brown-haired boy responded as if he knew what was on the girl's mind, "I'll finish this quickly, so could you please?"
Understanding what the messy brown-haired boy was inquiring about, the girl let out a short sigh before closing her eyes and pointing her hands towards her so-called master. Then, in the next moment, a glowing white aura appeared over the boy.
"Contestants, get ready."
The announcer said as both the boy and the girl on his side and the elementalists on the other side embraced themselves.
"Be—"
Both the elementalists began chanting under their own breaths, their hands pointed towards the cocky swordsman.
"—gin!"
However, right as the announcer finished his last words, the messy brown-haired boy with his long sword in his hand disappeared from his position, causing dust to flow everywhere from where he stood.
And then in the next moment, both of the elementalists that were chanting whatever they were going to attack had fallen unconscious, while the brown-haired boy was looking at them with a confident smile while having his arm relaxed, which was also holding his long sword.
The whole audience felt silent as they all blinked a few times at the sudden beginning. None but a very few could even react to what happened. But to those who were able to catch what had just happened, they realized that this cocky swordsman had moved so fast and knocked out the two elementalists with just the handle of his sword.
After this surprising quick match, several more swordsmen, elementalists, or mercenaries participated like usual.
This continued for one more hour, until in the ring walked two individuals, which earned the attention of many in the audience.
One of them appeared to be a small figure with a dark cloak covering her hidden white hair, and on the other hand, there was a 2-meter-tall tanker who held two axes behind his back. His golden and silver armor was also quite fancy and sturdy to look at, earning quite the look at this intimidating and big form of this man. His eyes remained stern, while his face contained many scars from the countless battles he had fought.
Many in the audience looked in curiosity and shock to see this sort of pairing. A small girl versus a massive tanker that made stomping sounds each time it walked.
Back at the VIP zone, the princess looked down in a bit of worry, the holy knight in annoyance and slight amusement, and the strongest knight…. Looked with hope and courage.
Meanwhile, back at the ring, as Aya watched the massive figure through the shifting shades of the cloak, her stern eyes narrowed and her fists clenched involuntarily for a moment.
With a deft movement, she withdrew two gleaming daggers from the inner pockets of her cloak, causing her hoodie to fall back and revealing her shock of white hair to the awed spectators.
Everyone watching this sudden, surprising turn gossiped with one another in either fear, curiosity, or surprise about her strange white hair. While back at the VIP zone, the three special individuals looked with either surprise or annoyance, and the strongest knight held a proud smile.
The tanker that was going to face Aya also narrowed his eyes without looking away from her.
"Brat," he sneered, his voice laced with condescension. "I don't know what your situation is or why your hair is like that," he continued, gesturing disdainfully at Aya's unruly locks. "But this is a ring where only men can fight. If you don't have strength in your hands, you better surrender now, or I won't hold back."
Aya met his gaze unflinchingly, her eyes narrowing as a sly smile crept onto her lips.
"You don't need to," she responded, her tone even and confident. "I've got more than enough strength to take you on."
"Is that so…." The tanker responded, his eyes closing in slight expectation.
Aya's eyes sternly looked at the figure in front of her as she began thinking. 'After all…. I can't disappoint Hiroki anymore…'
Then, as the announcer mentioned their names, the fight began!
週次パワーステータス
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